Gate-operating mechanism.



H. & P. E. GONDELL.

GATE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attorneys.

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Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Attorneys caLuMBu PLANOGRAPH co.,wAsHlNnTnN, n c.

HENRY CONDELL AND PAUL E. CONDELL, F TROY, IDAHO.

GATE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters E'atent.

Patented Oct. 14,1913.

Application filed September 30, 1912. Serial No. 723,254.

I which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gate operating mechanism, its object being to provide a simple structure of this character particularly designed for use in connection with sliding gates, the mechanism being such as to impart an initial velocity to the gate when it is desired to open or to close it, the gate moving, as the result of the momentum imparted thereto, to either of its two positions, the supporting rail being so shaped as to bring the gate to astop when either of the said positions is reached.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gate, its supporting and operating mechanism being shown partly in section and partly in operation. Fig. 2 is an end View of the gate the supporting struc ture and the operating mechanism being shown partly in section and partly in elevation, the section being on the line A.B Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates an elongated housing extending throughout the length of the path of movement of the gate, this housing being closed at the sides and top but open at the bottom so as thus to form an inverted channel. The ends of the housing are supported by posts or standards 2 and the middle portion of the housing is supported by spaced posts or standards 3. The fence 4: extends up to one of the posts 2 and past the other post 2 and up to one of the posts or standards 3. Thus the gate opening 5 is formed between one of the posts 2 and the posts or standards 3. The gate 6 is adapted to travel between the standards 3 and has upwardly extending end strips or hangers 7 each of which is provided, at its upper end, with a bracket 8 on which a supporting wheel 9 is journaled. The brackets 8 and wheels 9 travel within the housing 1 and along a supporting rail 10. The end portions of the rail are inclinded downwardly, as shown at 11 and 12 and the middle portion of the rail, which is located between the supporting standards 3, is made up of downwardly converging inclined portions 13 and 14. The rail is supported in the housing by means of brackets 15 extending from one side of the rail, while the brackets 8 travel along the other side of the rail. It is to be understood that the inclined portions 11 and 14 are parallel and the inclined portions 12 and 13 are also parallel. When the gate is in closed position the wheels 9 bear upon the lower ends of the inclined portions 11 and 1 1. When the gate is opened these wheels bear upon the lower ends of the inclined portions 12 and 13.

Secured to one side of each of the standards 3 is a bracket 16 having spaced guide sheaves 17 therein Operating cables 18 or the like are extended through the respective brackets and between the sheaves in the brackets, these cables being attached to the gate 6 at a point between the ends thereof, and as shown at 19. A beam 20 is mounted on the housing 1 at the center thereof and extends beyond the sides of the housing, this beam being reinforced by braces such as shown at 21 and which are attached to the standards 3. Guide sheaves 22 are supported from the outer ends of the beam and the cables 18 or other flexible actuating devices employed, extend from the sheaves 17 to the respective sheaves 22 and terminate in bars 23 constituting handles. These bars are preferably of wood and do not form weights.

Should the gate be in closed position, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is desired to open it, the person approaching the gate pulls downwardly on the adjacent handle 23 giving the actuating cable 18 a quick jerk suflicient to move the gate longitudinally so as to bring the wheels 9 oif of the inclined portions 11 and lt of the rail 10. The handle 23 is then promptly released and the momentum imparted to the gate will be suflicient to cause the wheels 9 to travel along the horizontal portion of the rail 10 until the wheels reach the inclined portions 12 and 13. The

Wheels will travel down these inclined portions until they reach the lower ends thereof whereupon the gate will be brought to a stop. It will be seen that the gate can be brought back to closed position by repeating the foregoing operation. When the gate is closed, the flexible actuating cables 18 extend in one direction from the sheaves 17 and when the gate is opened the cables extend in the opposite direction from the sheaves 17. Thus the shifting of the gate can be effected efiiciently irrespective of the position of the gate. By utilizing the inclined portions of the rail 10, it becomes unnecessary to employ a latch for holding the gate in either closed or open position. As the gate passes freely between the standards '3, the only friction occurring during the movement of the gate is that produced at the bearings of the wheels 9. The gate can thus move very freely and can be caused to travel considerable distances if necessary. Thus the mechanism is particularly useful in actuating very long sliding gates.

What is claimed is The combination with a gate, of upstanding posts, an intermediate post, a housing connecting the upper end portions of the posts, a one-piece track extending longitudinally within the housing and having downwardly inclined end portions and downwardly converging intermediate portions, those portions of the track between the downwardly converging intermediate portion and the downwardly inclined end portions being horizontal, wheels connected to the gate and normally in engagement with one of the end inclined portions and one of the intermediate inclined portions whereby the gate is held in either open or closed position, and flexible means for imparting an initialimpulse to the gate to move the wheels upwardly along the adj acent inolined portions and to impel them along the horizontal portions to the opposed inclined portion to either open or close the gate.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto afiixed our sig natures in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY CONDELL. PAUL E. CONDELL.

Wi tnesses EMMA JUNGE, OTTO H. LEUSOHEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents.

Washington, D. C. 

